Woodworking-machine.



PATENT ED JUNE 6, 1.905.

11.3mm. woonwomzme MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 3, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Rau/QrBm/ A; 1W y PATENTED JUNE 6, 1905.

R. BLAIR. WOODWORKINGMAGHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 -RMwarBM/R i31 A, W v

No. 791,504. PATENTED JUNE 6, 1905.

' R. -BLAIR.-

WOODWOEKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3, 1903- 4 SHBETSLSHEE'T 3.

ROBERT BLA/ N0. 791,604 PATENTED JUN-E 6, 1905;

' 'R. BLAIR.-

I WOODWORKING MACHINE.

AP PLIOATION FILED OUT. 3, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

I 1 Af y t Emma flllml AoBERrBL /R UN TED STATES,

'ifiatented June 6, 1905.

P T NT- OFFIQE.

- wooDwoRKiNe-MAoHiNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 791,604, dated. June 6,1905.

:To all, whom it may concern: l Be it known that I, ROBERT BLAIR, asubject of the King of Great Britain. residing at Shepherds Bush, inthe'cou nty of Middlesex, Eng-. land, have invented new and usefulImprove-' ments in Woodworking-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in woodworking-machines, and hasfor its objects to provide a machine wherein the wood to be operatedupon is passed through the? machine and during its passage is simulta-;neously planed on its top and bottom faces and both its edges in such amanner as to leave it. at the finish with a perfectly smooth surface,either flat or molded or provided with tongues and grooves or otherundulations, as may be,

desired.

A further object of my invention is to provide a machinewhich can beworked at a more rapid rate than other machines of this class andwherein the waste product will be in the form of wood-wool, which is ofgreater value than ordinary shavings.

a machine the bed of which is composed of a number ofvertically-adjustable frictionrollers mounted on spindles carried inbearings or supporting-blocks arranged in the vertical side members of asuitable framework. The side members ofthe framework of the machinecarry driving-rollers of'suitable diametei", which driving-rollers aremounted upon spindles supported in bearings in the side frames andextending a convenient distance beyond, their ends being provided withsuitable driving-pulleys. The driving-rollers aforesaid are arranged atsuitable intervals along the machine in two rows and in such a mannerthat each roller is in a vertical line with another roller, eitherimmediately above or below it. Either or both of these rollers may beadjustable vertically, so that the space between them may be varied tosuit different thicknesses of wood. These rollers are driven by means oftwo continuous belts passing around the driving-pulleys on each side ofthe machine and also around suitable guide-pulleys, the belts beingdriven from a suitable counter-shaft. One of the guide-pulleys onApplication filed October 3 1903. Serial No. 175,675-

each side of the machine is mounted on the box is arranged below the bedof the machine ,and the other in an invertedv position above the bed, sothat the set of cutters carried by the upper box operates upon the topsurface of the work, while the cutters of the lower box operate upon theunder surface of the work. The friction rollers, which, as aforesaid,practically form the bed of the machine, are preferably arranged beforeand after each cutter or set of cutters.

In order that my invention may be more readilyunderstood and carriedinto practical eflect, reference is hereby made to the accom- I panyingsheet of illustrative drawings, where- In accordance with this inventionI provide,

Figure l is a side elevational view of a machine constructed inaccordance with my 1nvent1on;' Fig. 2, a plan view thereof, partly in-section.. Fig. 3 is an end elevational view. Figs. 4 and 5 are sideelevational and sectional views, respectively, of the form ofbearingblock used for supporting the driving-rollers. Figs. 6, 7, and 8are frontelevational, side elevational, and plan views, respectively, ofthe form of slides used for adjusting the upper driving-rollers. Figs.9, 1O, 11, and 12 are elevational and and fitting-strips, respectively,which I propose to use in conjunction with the slides aforesaid. Fig. 13is a side elevational view of the cutter-boxes I employ in connectionplan views of the guide-strips with my machine, Fig. 14: being a planview thereof. plan views, respectively, of the mechanism I employ. foradjusting transversely the horizontal cutters, while Fig. 17 is aperspective view of the jointed boarding and paneling which, among otherthings, I propose to manufacture with this machine.

Referring to the drawings, in which like 1 Figs. 15 and 16 are sectionaland,

figures of reference indicate corresponding parts wherever occurringthroughout all the figures the numeral 1 designates the side frames ofthe machine, which rise vertically from a bed-plate 2. Retained inrecesses at intervals along the upper surfaces of the vertical sideframes 1 of the machine, bearing or plumber blocks 3 are provided, inwhich bearing-blocks the spindles 4 of the lower drivingrollers 5 areheld to revolve. The ends of these spindles 4 project out on both sidesof the machine and carry driving-pulleys 6. The bearing-blocks 3, whichare shown particularly in Figs. 4 and 5, are prevented from movinglaterally by being provided with vertical grooves 7 and are preventedfrom moving vertically out of their retaining-recesses by caps 8,secured by studs to the side frames 1. In order to provide for theslight vertical adjustment of the lower driving-rollers 5, which may benecessary, sufficient vertical play is left for packing-strips 9 to beemployed.

Immediately above each of the lower driving-rollers 5 upper dependingdriving-rollers 10 are provided, such rollers being mounted on spindles11, having driving-pulleys 12 and carried in bearings 13 of preciselysimilar nature to the lower driving-rollers 5 and their accessories, asbefore described, a support1ngbracket 14, similar in construction to thecap 8 of the 'lower driving-rollers, being secured in an invertedposition to the upper side frames 15. These upper side frames arevertically adjustable, being carried upon the upper ends of slides 16.These slides 16, which are illustrated in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, are slottedwhere the spindles 4 of the lower driving-roller 5 pass through them andare capable'of sliding vertically in dovetail grooves formed by theangular faces of guide-strips 17, which guidestrips are bolted orotherwise secured to the side frames 1 of the machine. Fitting-strips 18may be provided in connection with these guide-strips, pins or slightprojections 19 being provided upon the angular face of the guide-stripsto take into corresponding recesses in the fitting-strips l8 aforesaidfor the purpose of obviating the tendency of the said fitting-strips tofall out of place owing to their vertical disposition. The slides Y 16are arranged on the inner face of both of the side frames 1, such slides16 each being arranged exactly opposite its corresponding slide andconnected thereto by means of a bracket 20, provided with flanges 21,through holes in which flanges suitable securing studs are passed. Thebrackets 20 are constructed with central bosses 22, which are eachprovided with l a tapped opening 23. through which a screwthreaded rod24 operates. The lower end of this rod 24 is supported in a journal 25,centrally'situated in the lower arm of a bifurcated bracket 26, whichbracket 26 is secured, by means of studs or bolts, to the side frames 1of-the machine, lugs or flanges 27 being provided on the ends of thebracket 26 for this purpose. Keyed or otherwise fixed upon thesescrew-threaded rods 24 worm-wheels 27 are provided and arranged betweenthe furcations of the bifurcated bracket 26. Oper-- ating in conjunctionwith these worm-wheels 27 a corresponding number of worms or screws 28are provided, which worms or screws are formed or carried upon one shaft29, which shaft issupported by bearing-brackets 30, secured upon theinner face of one of the side frames 1. It will be readily understoodthat' if the shaft 29 is turned by means of the handle 31 all the wormsor screws 28 will operate upon the worm-wheels 27 and the screw-threadedrods 24, operating in the tapped openings of the central bosses 22 ofthe bracket 20, will cause such brackets, and consequently the slides16, attached thereto, to rise or fall, accordingly as the shaft 29 isturned one way or the other. The upper side frames 15 of the machine,which, as aforesaid,

carry the upper depending driving-rollers 10, are secured to the tops ofthe slides by means of studs or bolts, the slides for this purposehaving horizontal lugs at their upper ends.

Between each pair of driving-rollers I provide removable boxes 32 forcarrying the knives or cutters 33 for operating upon the work. Thesecutter-boxes 32 are open at both top and bottom and are capable ofsliding in and out of position transversely of the machine by means ofslide-bars 34, secured to the sides of the cutter-boxes by means ofscrews and having their sliding faces cut at a suitable angle. Theseslide-bars 34 extend transversely across the bottom of the cutterbox andoperate in conjunction with correspondingly-cut guide-bars 35, rigidlysecured,

by means of studs or their equivalent, to the upper surfaces of the sideframes 1 of the machine, the said guide-bars 35 extending transverselyacross the machine from side to side.

Between each pair of driving-rollers the cutter-box 32 is arranged andsupported upon the side frames 1 of the machine and its outters inposition for operating upon the lower surface of the work, and a secondcutterbox is carried in an inverted position by the upper framework, itscutters being so arranged as to operate upon the upper surface of thework. In order to provide for the easy passage of the work through themachine, a number of friction-rollers 36 are provided in connection withthe cutter-boxes. These frictionrollers 36 are each preferably dividedinto three portions and are loosely mounted upon rigid spindles 37, theends of which are of square section and fit into square recesses cut inthose surfaces of the side frames of the cutter boxes which are nearestthe work. These spindles are held in position by means of screws orstuds 38, which pass through holes in the square ends of the spindlesand screw into the sides of the cutter-boxes. Vermounted on headed pins41, the lower ends of which pins are screw-threaded and take into tappedopenings in a platform or bracket 42, supported by the spindles 37, thesaid spindles passing through holes in lugs 43 of the brackets 42, whichbrackets occupy the space between the ends of the friction-rollers 36and the inner faces of the sides of the cutter- -boxes 32.

The knives or cutters 44 are so arranged asto enable them to be adjustedlaterally and also to enable the angles at which they operate to bechanged within certain limits, as will hereinafter appear. Each of thesaid knives or cutters 44 is held between two sliding jaws 45, each ofwhich is carried upon a boss 46, provided with a tapped opening throughwhich a screw-threaded rod or spindle 47 opcrates. This screw-threadedrod 47 has a squared end 48 to accommodate a removable turning key orhandle 49. The screw-threaded rod is held to revolve in a bearing-collar50, mounted in the side of the cutter-box 32 at the one end, and theother end is reduced somewhat and is journaled in a block 51, whichblock 51 connects together the guidebars 52, along which the bosses 46of the sliding jaws 45 travel. These guide-bars 52'are held rigid bymeans of studs or screws 53, which pass through slots- 54 in thesides ofthe cutter-box 32 into tapped openings in the ends of the guide-bars 52.

It will be understood that each of the sliding jaws holding a cutterbeing mounted on an independent screw, the position of the cutter can bealtered laterally and removed for sharpening purposes by the operationsofthe screws 47 in the tapped openings in the bosses 46 of the slidingjaws 45, while the angle at which the cutter operates can be altered,the slots 54 permitting the position of the guidebars 52 being alteredfor this purpose. The exact adjustment of the cutter to the work iseffected by means of a hammer after the manner of adjusting an ordinaryplane-iron. A cutter is preferably arranged between each of thefriction-rollers.

For operating upon the edges of the work vertically-disposed cutters 55are employed, being held between holders 56, consisting of verticalangle-irons 57, setiin such a position as to hold the cutter at acorrect angle for operating upon the work, the cutters 55 being held inposition by set-screws 58. These ver- I tical cutters are preferablyeach arranged between the vertical friction-rollers 40.

The machine is driven from a counter-shaft 59, mounted in bearingscarried by the framework of the machine, by means of two [driving-beltsand 61, which pass around driving-pulleys 62 and 63, carried by thecountershaft, and thence around the pulleys 6, carried by the spindles4'of the drivingrollers 5. The belts 60 and 61 also pass overtensionpulleys 65 and 65, mounted upon the ends of a bracket carriedupon the upper end of a bellcrank lever 66, the fulcrum of which issupported in bearings 67, arranged in such a position at the front ofthe machine that the forward extremity of the horizontal arm of the saidbell-crank lever will be in a convenient position for depression by theoperators foot when it is necessary or desirable to tighten the belts. I

The cutters or knives 44 and 55 are so adjusted that each cutter hasvery little work to performthat is to say, that each cutter is adjustedslightly nearer to the work than the preceding oneand while the firstset of 'cutters may conveniently be utilized for giving the work smoothsurfaces thesucceeding cutters may be'so shaped andsituated as to grooveor mold the worl As an example of the operation of the Inachine Ipropose to utilize it for the manufacture of the jointed boarding shownin Fig. 17, which consists mainly in cutting or grooving planks toproduce aseries of'dovetail tongues and grooves, the angles of thedovetails being rounded off, so that a perfect joint may be effected.Every alternate tool or cutter in this operation may conveniently have aserrated cutting edge and the remainder an ordinary plane edge. Theplank is fed into the machine from the front and is drawn through by thedriving-rollers 5, guided and assisted by the friction-rollers 36 and40, before described. As the plank passes the stationary cutters 44 and55 it is operated upon by the said cutters.

The first cutter or sets of cutters, which, as aforesaid, are used forgiving the board a smooth surface, extend, preferably, entirely acrossthe machine, so as to operate upon the whole surface of the work. Thenext cutter may be divided at the center and commence to cut the groovesin the surface, and each succeeding cutter will cut a little deeper andbe shaped soas to cut the grooves in the correct form. It will bereadily understood that the plank will emerge from the rear of themachine with the tongues and grooves cor rect-1y cut.

The utilization of a number of tools each adjusted to perform a smallamount of work will enable the machine to beworked at a rapid rate, andthe waste substance will be in the form of wood-wool, a more I, valuablecom-v modity than ordinary shavings.

The cutter-boxes 32 may, if it is found desirable, be locked in positionby means of a headed bolt 68, carried bya horizontal bracket 69,attached upon the side of the cutter-box 32. The lower end of this bolt68 lies when the cutter-box is in position in a slot 70 in a horizontallug of a bracket 71, attached to the side frames 1 of the machine. Thislower end IQO of the said bolt 68 is screw-threaded, and a nut or tappedhandle 72 is provided, so that a turn will secure the cutter-box firmlyin position. It is obvious that if it is desired to slide the cutter-boxout the slacking of the nut or handle 72 will permit of the boX beingdrawn out, the bolt 68 and its accessories being carried with the saidcutter-box.

WhatI claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In woodworking-machines, the combination with permanently-fixedvertical lower side frames; of vertically-adjustable upper side frames;of recesses in the horizontal edges of said side frames; of bearingscapable of limited vertical adjustment disposed within said recesses; ofvertical retaining-grooves in said bearings; of retaining-caps for saidbearings; of driven spindles mounted in said bearings; of driving-beltpulleys rigidly mounted on the ends of said spindles, and ofdriving-rollers centrally mounted on said spindles, substantially asspecified.

2. In woodworking-machines of the class described, the means forvertically adjusting the upper side frames carrying the upperdrivingrollers, said means comprising the combination with a rotatableshaft mounted in bearing brackets; of worms on said shaft; of Wormwheels gearing with said worms; of screw-threaded spindles carrying saidwormwheels; of bifurcated brackets supporting said screw-threadedspindles; of slotted vertical slides upon which the upper side framesare mounted operating in guides attached upon the inner faces of thelower side frames; of brackets connecting the slides upon one side ofthe machine with the slides upon the other and of the tapped bossescentrally of the said brackets, substantially as specified.

3. In woodworking-machines of the class described, the removablecutter-boxes consisting of open boxes having side frames formingextensions of the side frames of the machine, said cutter-boxes beingarranged in pairs between the driving-rollers, the one supported in anupright by the side frames of the machine and the other carried in aninverted position by the vertically-adjustable framing, saidcutter-boxes carrying vertically-adjustable spindles in recesses intheir edges nearest the work, upon which spindles dividedfriction-rollers are held to revolve, said spindles also supportingbrackets arranged on either side of the horizontal friction-rollers,which brackets carry vertical friction-rollers and adjustable tools foroperating upon the edges of the Work, said cutter-boxes also carryingadjustable horizontal tools for operating upon the upper and lowersurfaces of the work, substantially as specified.

4. In woodworking-machines of the class described, the combination witha removable cutter-box framing open at both top and bottom; ofslide-bars held to the side frames and extending transversely across thebottom of the said framing; of corresponding parallel guidebars heldupon the upper edges of the side frames of the machine; of recesses cutin the upper longitudinal edges of the removable cutter-box framing; ofsquare-ended spindles rigidly held in said recesses; of dividedfriction-rollers held to revolve upon said spindles; of bracketssupported by said spindles, said brackets being arranged between theends of the friction-rollers and the inner faces of the side frames ofthe cutter-box; of vertical friction-rollers carried by said brackets;of the headed pins upon which said vertical frictionrollers revolve; ofangle-iron vertical toolsupporting uprights; and of tool-securingsetscrews, substantially as specified.

5. In woodworking-machinesoftheclassdescribed, the means for carryingand adjusting the horizontal cutters, said means comprising thecombination with the side frames of the cutter-box of guide-barsconnected together by a central boss; of securing-studs; of slots in theside frames of the cutter-box; of tapped openings in the ends of theguide-bars; of sliding tool-holding jaws; of square-emledadjustingscrews journaled in the central guide-bar boss and in the sideframes of the cutter-box; of the tapped openings in the bosses of thetool-holding jaws through which the adjusting-screws operate,substantially as specified.

6. The improvements in woodworking-machines consisting in thecombination of the vertical lower side frames; the vertically-adjustableupper frames; the means for adjusting the said upper frames; thedriving-rollers carried by said frames; removable cutterboxes carriedand supported by said frames; means for holding said cutter-boxessecurely in position, and the means for tightening the driving-belts atwill, all arranged, combined and operating substantially as hereinbciorespecified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to the specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT BLAIR.

Witnesses:

ALFD. A. THORNTON, H. A. \Voonmnneu.

